Marron stocks threatened.

Marron fishery in crisis
Western Australia’s recreational Marron fishery is headed for a long-term closure within 15 years if urgent action is not taken to regulate the catch.

Information requested by Shadow Environment Minister Bernie Masters in May, finally provided by Fisheries Minister Kim Chance, shows an alarming decline in the catch of legal sized Marron from rivers and dams from 1971 until 2001 (the most recent data).

If the trend shown in graphs on page 62 of the “State of the Fisheries Report 2001/2002” continues, virtually no legal sized Marron will remain in southwest waterways by 2015.

Even an optimistic estimate shows legal sized Marron would effectively cease to exist within 20 years.

Shadow Fisheries Minister Bruce Donaldson said the government must act urgently to protect the fishery.

“Governments are elected to make decisions for the benefit of the entire community, even if they are difficult decisions,” he said.

“Closures of the recreational Marron fishery in 1977 and 1988-1989 resulted in the following year’s catch rates increasing significantly, so temporary closed seasons are effective in rebuilding population sizes.

“The Fisheries Department admits that catch rates appear to be independent of rainfall and while salinity may be a factor in individual rivers, salt levels are not rising in every dam and river in the southwest, so salinity is not the cause of the Marron decline.”

Mr Donaldson said that based upon information provided by the Minister, the only hope for the Marron fishery was its complete closure every second or third year.

Shadow Environment Minister Bernie Masters agreed, saying that our dams and rivers appeared to be carrying high numbers of juvenile Marron, but not large catchable adults.

“The two closures in the 1970s and 1980s resulted in improved catch rates for one or two years afterwards, but the long-term decline then took hold,” he said.

“The public have a choice: to keep catching fewer and fewer legal size Marron until virtually none are left in 15 years’ time, or to accept closed seasons every second or third year in exchange for reasonable catches during the open seasons.”

Current catch rates for fishers are about three legal-sized Marron per trip.

Source: Media release by Shadow Ministers for Environment and Fisheries [14 August 2003]

Pumping the Blackwood river dry, Pro's netting it's last few fish, CALM locking it all up as a marine park....and now all the Marron are threatened!!!!

It's not like I didn't bloody warn all about it....

I still say we need a "riverkeepers" organisation - but as usual - I'm the lone voice in the bloody wilderness!!!!

Cheers!

[Angry]

I'm sorry, But I get sick and tired of officials telling us that our marroning and fishing is being destroyed because the restrictions aren't tough enough. BOLLOCKS. I'm always legal when I go marroning ie liscenced, observe all time restrictions, respect undersize and berried marron and generally try and take care of the resourse I'm trying to enjoy. But everytime time I go I find proof of people who couldn't give a rats backside. Dozens of undersize shells in campfires before the season opens. Listen to the locals brag about all thier favourite poaching spots. The fact that private property owners can take whatever they want from a river thats " restricted" 200m away.

In all my times marroning I have never been approached by a fisheries officer to check my catch. The only time I have ever been approached by an official was to tell me I was speeding in a 6 kn zone (he had no proof and wouldn't believe my GPS).

Basically its free reign out there, why would unscrupulous people give a stuff when they know their chances of being caught are negligable.

I've said it before. There is no point making tougher rules if your not enforcing the ones allready in place.

Why don't they use some of the options they have open to them. People will start to get the message when they have their cars and boats confiscated. At the moment all you have to do is plead ignorant and they let you off with a warning.

Its not an easy job for fisheries, but its not going to be improved by tougher restrictions. Please take my liscencing fees ( i'll cough up for rec fishing as well) and invest it more officers to protect our fish stocks.

Most if not all the subscibers to this website practice sustainable fishing (its what we do). Its the other idiots out there that will flock it up for us.

I'm wound up now , better go take a valium, or better yet a port.

[Angry]

quote:>>>>Information requested by Shadow Environment Minister Bernie Masters in May, finally provided by Fisheries Minister Kim Chance, shows an alarming decline in the catch of legal sized Marron from rivers and dams from 1971 until 2001 (the most recent data).
<<<<<

of course there bloody is. in 1971 anyone could marron any time with smaller legal marron. Now with a very short open season, increased sized limits, reduced bag limits and restriction on catch methods, of course your'e going to catch less. Think about Bernie ya twat.

Not to mention people doing it illegaly are unlikely to inform government of there annual haul, like duh.
PS the spots I go are "thick" with marron. All the spots are readily accsessable by the public. this year we caught our daily bag limit in under two hours. We were returning well legal marron because we were pulling whoppers in.

We only took enough for a feed.